Roasted Eggplant with Yogurt-Tahini Sauce and Cumin-Crisped Chickpeas
- 1Âľ cups (from a 15.5-ounce or 425-gram can) cooked chickpeas, drained, patted dry on paper towels
- 5 tablespoons (45 ml) olive oil
- Coarse or kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- 3 pounds small eggplants (Italian-style eggplants if you can find them, 4 to 7 ounces [115 to 200 grams] each)
- â…“ cup (45 grams) tahini paste
- â…” cup (150 grams) full-fat, thick plain yogurt
- 3 tablespoons (45 ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ teaspoon table salt
- About â…“ cup (80 ml) cold water
- 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Instructions:
The roasting pan becomes a frying pan, and the released vegetables—eggplant especially—get a gorgeous bronzed skin on the outside, and immense tenderness within.
- Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Toss the chickpeas with 2 tablespoons olive oil, ÂĽ teaspoon coarse salt, freshly ground black pepper, and ground cumin. Spread them on a baking sheet, and roast on top rack for 30 to 40 minutes, rolling them around on the tray from time to time, until they are browned and crisp. I find that freshly cooked chickpeas crisp faster, so you may need less time for them to crisp if not canned.
- Brush a large baking sheet or roasting pan with a generous tablespoon of oil. Halve the eggplants lengthwise, arrange them, cut side up, in one layer on oiled sheet. Brush the cut sides lightly with a tiny amount additional oil (which I know I just told you wouldn’t be necessary, but I like using an extra “insurance plan” with vegetables that are especially unpleasant to scrub from pans), and sprinkle them generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Roast for 15 minutes, until lightly browned on top. Carefully flip the eggplants so that their cut sides are against the pan, and roast for another 15 minutes, until they are bronzed underneath and tender throughout. (If you are using larger eggplants, you may need up to 5 minutes additional roasting time.)
- Whisk together tahini, yogurt, lemon juice, garlic, and salt; the mixture will become very thick and stiff. Add water, a tablespoon at a time, until mixture is smooth, with a thick but pourable consistency. I find that about 5 tablespoons (a little shy of â…“ cup) water does the trick.
- Arrange the eggplant sections, cut side up, on a large platter. Dollop each piece generously with yogurt-tahini sauce. Sprinkle with crisped chickpeas and parsley. Serve immediately, passing extra chickpeas and yogurt-tahini sauce.
- About 10 minutes before eggplants are done roasting, heat 1 tablespoon butter with 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add ½ small onion, finely chopped, and cook until it begins to brown. Add a minced clove of garlic and a pinch of chili flakes, and heat through for another minute. Add 1 pound ground lamb and cook, breaking up lumps, until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Season with salt, sprinkle mixture over eggplant, and dollop with yogurt-tahini sauce.